Dried Fruit, Nut Mixes Being Recalled for Relabeling

January 23, 1986

WASHINGTON (AP) _ The Food and Drug Administration today said dried fruit and nut mixes distributed to more than 9,000 retail stores nationwide, including the giant K-Mart chain, may contain undisclosed sulfite preservatives that could cause an allergic reaction in some people.

The FDA said Sathers Inc. of Round Lake Minn., is recalling the snack products because the labels do not declare the presence of sulfites. Sathers will relabel the packages with sulfite disclosures, making them legal for sale, the agency said.

Some of the mixes are marketed in small, independent stores under the Sathers label, the FDA said. But other packages, including those distributed to K-Mart, Jupiter and SS Kresge stores, do not carry the Sathers brand name, the agency said.

The 5- and 51/2 -ounce snack packages are called Bazaar Mix, California Mix and Pineapple Tidbits. The mixes also are distributed in 25-pound bulk cases to some stores on the West Coast, the agency said.

Sulfite preservatives are not illegal and are harmless for most people. But, under federal regulations, their presence must be declared on the product’s label.

The labeling is intended to protect the estimated 500,000 to 1 million people, mostly asthmatics, who are sensitive to sulfites and may suffer an allergic reaction. While severe reactions are uncommon, they can occur and in very rare instances can result in death.